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Paul Auster doesn't. Paul doesn't believe in much at all. He’s thirty, slightly overweight, and his best features are his acerbic wit and the color commentary he provides as life passes him by. His closest friends are a two-legged dog named Wheels and a quasibipolar drag queen named Helena Handbasket. He works a dead-end job in a soul-sucking cubicle, and if his grandmother's homophobic parrot insults him one more time, Paul is going to wring its stupid neck.

Enter Vince Taylor.

Vince is everything Paul isn’t: sexy, confident, and dumber than the proverbial box of rocks. And for some reason, Vince pursues Paul relentlessly. Vince must be messing with him, because there is no way Vince could want someone like Paul.

But when Paul hits Vince with his car—in a completely unintentional if-he-died-it'd-only-be-manslaughter kind of way—he's forced to see Vince in a whole new light. The only thing stopping Paul from believing in Vince is himself—and that is one obstacle Paul can’t quite seem to overcome. But when tragedy strikes Vince's family, Paul must put aside any notions he has about himself and stand next to the man who thinks he's perfect the way he is.

OMG!! I loved it! I couldn't put it down, I couldn't stop laughing...OMG!!! You have to read it!

Funny Look at Love

By Katy Beth on Aug 6, 2017 04:08

A humorous look at falling in love while tripping all over yourself. It is about being your own worse enemy. Paul is clumsy and is unsure of himself. Vince seems perfect but even perfect people have insecurities and need their own set of reassurances, love, and patience.

Great story!

By Iheartwilson on Mar 5, 2017 04:03

This story is told from Paul's point of view. I have to admit that I had to take a few breaks in the beginning of the book. Even though Paul is an endearing character, he also was very negative. His inner thoughts were exhausting to me even when they were funny too. Also in the beginning, I wished that we also got Vince's point of view. But as the story unfolded, I realized it was important that we didn't. It wouldn't have had the same impact.

The supporting characters were so awesome! They really enhanced the story. This story had drama, humor, doubt, joy, insecurity, love and devotion. I highly recommend it.

5 stars = I freaking LOVED this book!!!

By Wicked Reads on Oct 5, 2016 01:10

I received a free copy of this audiobook to listen to and review for Wicked Reads.

If ever there were a book that was MEANT to be an audiobook, Tell Me It’s Real is it. It is quite possibly one of the funniest books I’ve ever encountered and I made that assertion to our review team while I was listening to chapter two, and it held that title all the way through to the end. Klune has written a fabulous book with great one-liners and hilarious scenes, and Michael Lesley breathes life into the characters so fully that I was right there in the story. The narrator does such a good job at conveying the sarcasm and the diva queen attitude (and I say that with the utmost respect as someone whose life partner was a gay man who could don the metaphorical crown with the flick of a wrist), that I could not contain my laughter. I had to stop listening to it several times because my laughter was disruptive, or stole my breath, or went on so long that my stomach muscles were aching – and I do not live a laugh-free life. I laugh regularly, my laugh muscles are in shape, but Tell Me It’s Real gave them a marathon-style workout that insures that this audiobook will be queued up often for repeated listens.

Just putting this out there, I am a fat girl. I do not remember a time in my life when I have not worn pants in the double digits – those digits have varied quite a bit over the years (both up and down), but have never been in the single digits since I became cognizant of sizes. As such, I SOOOOOO identified with Paul and I knew exactly what he meant by “Are you Freddie Prinze Junioring me?” I get being unable to trust that the hot guy might really and truly be interested in you. It’s our dream, yet when it happens, we can’t trust that it’s real because of all the times it hasn’t been. I’ve also had the near-death experience when trying to avoid stepping on your dog when she suddenly appears underfoot; unlike Paul though, I managed to put my hands out in time to prevent the face plant to the wall. Verbal diarrhea? Check. Getting flustered when interacting with the seriously hot guy? Check. Being painfully, socially awkward? Check. A master at the art of sarcasm? Double check. Oh yes, Paul and I are definitely kindred spirits, so I connected with his character completely and was fully invested in his shenanigans, faux pas, spit takes, gaffes, embarrassments, heartbreak (oh yes, despite all the humor, we do have some heartbreak), sexy fun times, romance, and falling in love. I loved that even as he acknowledged that Vince wasn’t the sharpest tool in the shed, he was quick to defend him against anyone else suggesting it. I loved that even though Vince didn’t understand what nocturnal emissions were, he understood that Paul needed reassurance and had no problem reminding him that “It’s real.”

I absolutely loved this audiobook. I honestly do not know if I would have enjoyed it as much had I read it. I know it would have been a 5-star read, but I’m not sure that reading it even compares with the experience of listening to Tell Me It’s Real. I rarely share quotes while I’m reading, and yet I subjected the review team to a few I could not keep to myself.

“I throw like a girl… without arms.” - Paul
“Like super gay. I fart and rainbows come out.” – Paul
"Nocturnal emissions are the number one cause for the hole in the ozone." – Vince

And those are just the tip of the iceberg. I actually had to stop listening to the audiobook because I couldn't stop laughing at work. You know that snort-click sound you make in the back of your throat when you're trying to hold your laugh in? I was worried I was going to injure my throat. Or wet my pants. Or both. And I actually told the ladies that, no joke. Best. Audiobook. Ever. While I’ve only listened to a dozen audiobooks, this is by far my favorite and I have listened to some really great books. Then again, I have the sequel, The Queen & the Homo Jock King, in my queue for next week and there’s a very real possibility that Sandy and Helena Handbasket might be the death of me. Can you laugh yourself to death? I cannot wait to experience more of Klune’s writing and Lesley’s narrating!

Review of Tell Me It's Real

By David Price on Jun 27, 2015 07:06

Wow. I don't know what to say except that I loved every word of this story. I don't think I have laughed out loud so many times from a single book in my life. What wonderful characters, what a nice story. Do yourself a favor and read this as soon as possible.